By | Adil Malia | www.adilmalia.com
They are certainly not synonyms though often used as one. With the Scalpel of the surgeon, you can differentiate the three …
Apology is acknowledgement of a wrongful act indulged unmindfully that may have caused hurt or injury to someone.
Forgivance is only half way to Repentance.
It is important that the real repentant needs to follow these steps :
a. The person must firstly be humble & remorseful. Merely offering apologies to get away from likely penalties is double the sin. There has to be genuine humility and remorse within.
b. Thereafter, such repentful offerings have to be rendered to the person so injured directly. Be brave. As far as possible, the same should be rendered in public. Let your social reference and ego not come in the way.
c. The Repentant thereafter has to truthfully resolve to cleanse self and never to repeat the sins again.
d. The promise to never repeat the sins has to be followed by supporting acts to rectify and remedy the injury caused to the victim due to wrongdoings by the sinner.
e. This has to come with a confirmed reassurance to never let the ego see the act of having sought forgiveness in public ever with resentment thereafter towards the victim.
In my understanding, first comes apology, then forgiveness and thereafter repentance.
Unconnected to the above piece is the fact that tomorrow is Pateti. The day of repentence for the Parsis. The Parsis are expected to pray the ‘Patet Pashemani’ composed originally by Dastur Adarbad Mahareshpand (in Sassanian times), repent for the sins indulged in by them thru the year and seek atonement from the same.
Having experienced the virtues of repentence, the soul feels lighter and free to fulfill its duty in search of ‘Asha’. That state is indeed congratulatory and thus ‘mubarak’.
There may be views of some on the issue why Pateti cannot be greeted as ‘Mubarak’. But that is their point of view and welcome. But I prefer to wish you my dear friend – ‘Pateti Mubarak’. My view…
Republished with permission and originally published at www.adilmalia.com
